Sylvia Milo's The Other Mozart Is Spellbinding

NC State LIVE presented Sylvia Milo's The Other Mozart on Feb. 17th and 18th in Titmus Theatre (photo by Charlotte Dobre)

Imagine for a moment that you are a musical prodigy. Your father has encouraged your musical passions and abilities; and as a young child, you become an astounding musician on the harpsicord. Your younger brother is also a talented musical prodigy, so by the time that you are 12 years old, you are touring Europe together under the watchful eye of your father, playing for packed venues, filled with adoring fans.

Kings and queens bring you to play for them. Nobles shower you with gifts. Cheers are heard after every performance. Newspapers lavish you with praise. You travel constantly, and dream of nothing but playing music and writing musical scores. You have found your life's work, with great critical acclaim.

And then, when you turn 18 years old, with the snap of a finger, your dream is yanked away from you -- simply because you are a woman. "Respectable young women don't play music" you are told. You are expected to marry, have a baby, learn to keep house, and secure your future through marriage to a husband. And just like that, you are forced to stop doing that which defines you. To make it all the more heartbreaking, while you sit at home, you watch as your younger brother continues playing concerts, becoming one of the most celebrated musicians of all time -- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-91).

NC State LIVE presented Sylvia Milo's The Other Mozart on Feb. 17th and 18th in Titmus Theatre (photo by Charlotte Dobre)

The Other Mozart, presented Feb. 17th and 18th by NC State LIVE, is the true story of Maria Anna Mozart (1751-1829) (or "Nannerl," as her family called her), Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's sister. You have never heard of her, you say? Neither had we. Thankfully, this amazing story was teased from the past by this show's writer/director and star of the show ... Sylvia Milo.

Milo spent countless hours poring through letters written by the Mozart family during their lifetimes to bring to life Mozart's sister. Ironically, it is because of Nannerl that we have the treasure trove of letters from the Mozart family; but since she never reached the fame that her brother enjoyed, no one saved her letters -- yet another snub to Nannerl's legacy.

The entire 75-minute show is set on a bare stage, save for a lacy white abstract dress (by costume designers Magdalena Dabrowska and Miodrag Guberinic), spread in a large circle at center stage. We were mesmerized by this gorgeous period dress, splayed on the stage like a magnificent swirl of white octopus. The dress is futuristic, and yet also from the period. It is covered with sheets of paper ... letters, music, the evidence that Nannerl will use to tell the audience her story.

NC State LIVE presented Sylvia Milo's The Other Mozart on Feb. 17th and 18th in Titmus Theatre (photo by Charlotte Dobre)

We were filled with great anticipation, wondering how this prop was to be used -- and we were not disappointed. Nannerl (Sylvia Milo) entered stage right, flowing onto the stage as if on air. As she told us her story, she moved effortlessly from the character's youth through old age. Depicting her mother and father and famous brother with perfect accents in this one-woman show, Milo transported us effortlessly into the life of Nannerl Mozart as she stood on that stage, pouring her heart out to us. We were spellbound.

The action takes place atop and around this small circle of fabric, echoing the constraints that womanhood placed upon Nannerl. As she tells us her tale, Nannerl avoids actually donning the heavy, 50-lb. dress and the corset -- and, ultimately, shouldering all of the societal constraints that the dress represents -- but we know from the beginning that it is a battle that she will not win.

The simple spotlighting designed by Joshua Rose was used to great effect to highlight the highs and lows, and the most emotional points, of Nannerl's life. In an after-show discussion with Sylvia Milo and composer Nathan Davis, we learn that none of Nannerl's music survives. So, Davis carefully brainstormed ways to create the essence of music without copying her famous brother's style.

NC State LIVE presented Sylvia Milo's The Other Mozart on Feb. 17th and 18th in Titmus Theatre (photo by Charlotte Dobre)

Using bells, claps, music boxes, and other simple sounds, Davis honors Nannerl's individuality, even though it is lost to time. At one point, the sound was a little loud for one reviewer; however, after the show, we were informed that that particular piece was crafted to make you feel pain, an audible tribute to Nannerl Mozart's own pain. Thank you, Nathan Davis, for your ability to make us hear her story in a different way.

We thoroughly enjoyed this show. The Other Mozart is the story of woman being treated differently because of her sex; but it has a universal theme of longing, societal rules, and shattered dreams. Who amongst us can't relate with that?

Ultimately, the show made us wonder how many other untold stories of greatness have been lost throughout history, because of society's inability to see past its own preconceived notions. As Sylvia Milo commented in the after-show discussion, "Where are the women Mozarts? RIGHT HERE!"

NC State LIVE presented Sylvia Milo's The Other Mozart on Feb. 17th and 18th in Titmus Theatre (photo by Charlotte Dobre)

Sylvia Milo's THE OTHER MOZART (In Person Feb. 17th and 18th), which tells the true story of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's sister, Maria Anna "Nannerl" Mozart (1751-1829), a prodigy, a gifted composer, and a keyboard virtuoso (NC State LIVE in in Titmus Theatre in N.C. State University's Frank Thompson Hall in Raleigh). TRAILER: https://vimeo.com/101612048. THE PRESENTER: https://live.arts.ncsu.edu/, https://www.facebook.com/NCStateLIVE, https://www.instagram.com/NCStateLIVE/, https://twitter.com/NCStateLIVE, and https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxGbrveGrLIQcz8wHSpdAOg. 2022-23 SEASON: https://live.arts.ncsu.edu/nc-state-live-2022-23-season/. THE OTHER MOZART: https://theothermozart.com/, https://www.facebook.com/TheOtherMozart/, https://www.instagram.com/othermozart/, and https://twitter.com/TheOtherMozart. ACTRESSES: https://theothermozart.com/actresses. VIDEOS: https://theothermozart.com/video. SYLVIA MILO: https://sylviamilo.com/, https://www.linkedin.com/in/sylviamilo, https://theothermozart.com/actresses, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3720196/, https://www.facebook.com/sylvia.milo, https://www.instagram.com/sylvia.milo/, and https://twitter.com/Sylvia_Milo. INFORMATION: 919-513-3030 or ncstatelive@ncsu.edu. PLEASE DONATE TO: NC State LIVE. [RUN HAS CONCLUDED.]

WHAT: Triangle Review is a FREE weekly e-mail performing-arts and film newsletter, edited and published by Robert W. McDowell since April 2001.

TO SUBSCRIBE: To start your FREE subscription today, sign up in the subscription box at the beginning of this e-mail; or e-mail RobertM748@aol.com and type SUBSCRIBE-TR in the Subject: line. TO UNSUBSCRIBE: E-mail RobertM748@aol.com and type UNSUBSCRIBE-TR in the Subject: line.

QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? E-mail all questions, comments, and Letters to the Editor to RobertM748@aol.com. For Letters to the Editor, please include a daytime telephone number in your e-mail.

COPYRIGHT: Editorial content in all formats © 2023 Triangle Review and the author of each article. Reproduction in any form without authorization of Triangle Review and the respective authors is prohibited. Triangle Review maintains an archive of past issues. To request copies of past articles and/or issues, e-mail RobertM748@aol.com.